DEPENDABLE

Textile industry leader, committed to traditional skills, astute, successful businessman

James Edward Sugden OBE, who died on 28 December 2017, was born in Huddersfield in September 1946. He was throughout his life committed to maintaining traditional skills in the textile industry.

His early years were spent in Huddersfield at Berry Brow and later Netherton. He was educated at St David’s Preparatory School Huddersfield and Sedbergh School where he became Head of House. He gained a degree in Economics from Downing College, Cambridge in 1968 and joined R Beanland & Co in Scissett while taking an evening textile course at Huddersfield College of Technology where he obtained an LTI in textiles.

He had a spell at W&J Whitehead in Laisterdyke before he moved on to MP Stonehouse in Wakefield, his father-inlaw’s business, and after they were taken over by Readicut he accepted an offer in 1987 to move north to Elgin to join Johnston’s of Elgin as sales director, quickly becoming managing director in 1988. Here his enthusiasm, drive and good business sense was instrumental in expanding Johnston’s business substantially from a small weaving mill into a global brand.

In the subsequent 25 years, he developed Johnston’s into becoming the leading UK manufacturer of cashmere products, renowned for its fabric and accessories, and more recently knitwear where the company developed from scratch a new knitwear facility in the Borders town of Hawick. Johnstons’ turnover rose in the period of his tenure from £5 million to over £50m, and their products are now exported to over 30 countries and the company known the world over. No mean feat for a company in a declining industry.

James travelled widely to meet suppliers on their territory and to source cashmere from China and the Upper Grasslands of Inner Mongolia, while at the same time expanding the company’s customer base into a who’s who of fashion brands. When a serious flood swept through the mill in 1997 he was immediately on the premises in his fishing waders supervising the clean-up operation and deciding on the new machinery that was needed with a fierce determination to keep everyone busy. The subsequent aftermath enabled many commission mills in the Borders and in Yorkshire to keep busy in lean times as a result of the workload they took on while Johnston’s were rebuilding.

James extended the Cashmere Visitor Centre with a taste level on a par with London retail standards and later supervised the substantial extension on the Elgin premises for a new furnishing department which was opened by Prince Charles in 1994. Above all he revived Johnston’s into a British powerhouse in textiles, known the world over. In 1994 under his leadership the company gained the Queen’s Award for Export and continued to prosper.

James never forgot his Yorkshire roots and whenever any outwork for a particular process was needed his first port of call would be a Yorkshire firm, and he used skills from Yorkshire in many other fields such as carding repairs.

His endeavours had few limits and there was always something else to achieve. In 2013 he gained the Royal Warrant for Johnston’s from HRH Prince Charles, Duke of Rothesay, and only last year (2017) gained the Royal Warrant as tailors to HM The Queen for the textile company he was now revitalising as chairman of Campbell’s of Beauly.

In 2005 he moved to the Borders of Scotland to Hawick in order to develop the knitwear business there. Once again he painstakingly transformed the business, overseeing new products, suppliers and customers to the great benefit of the town, and enhanced the reputation of the company significantly.

In Hawick further developments included a new visitor centre which he personally supervised.

He was awarded the OBE in 2011 for his services to the textile industry.

James became a liveryman of the Worshipful Company Of Weavers in 2006 and joined Court in 2011 .He was soon asked to become Chairman of the company’s Textile Committee and worked tirelessly to get young graduate weave designers into UK mills and later the introduction of an apprenticeship scheme to train more young weave technicians.

By the time he retired in 2013 he was without doubt the leading expert in textiles in the country. He was chairman of the Scottish Textiles Manufacturing Association where his expertise and opinion were highly valued. In particular he was actively involved at Dumfries House under the chairmanship of Prince Charles in encouraging young people to learn new skills there. He was an early member of the Manchester-based Alliance project, set up by Lord David Alliance to examine the potential for repatriating textile manufacturing to the UK.

After retiring he maintained his enthusiasm for all things textiles, accepting the role as a non-executive director for Brora Cashmere as well as developing his new business venture with his son at Campbell’s of Beauly. He particularly enjoyed his other non-executive position on the board of Baxter’s Food Group in Fochabers, the company of his great friend the late Gordon Baxter CBE, a role that gave him a fascinating insight into another type of production. He was also actively involved with his livery company The Weavers in awarding prizes to young students entering the textile industry.

James loved his home town of Huddersfield and had a remarkable knowledge of the history and development of the textile industry, the families and the mills.

He was well respected by customers, suppliers and not least his employees. He was generous with his time and advice, had boundless energy and a great ability to get on with everybody from all walks of life. Nothing was too much trouble and he was modest at all times.

While living in Yorkshire he was church warden at Holy Trinity Church, following in his father’s footsteps, and wherever he went he would support the local church, including a spell as Treasurer at Gordon Chapel in Fochabers. He was an honourable man who stuck to his principles and good Yorkshire common sense.

He was honest, respectful, understated, insightful, humble, able and dependable. Above all he loved his family, his dogs, and his garden and supported his children when they all chose their own textile ventures which gave him huge pleasure, especially when his son acquired Campbell’s of Beauly and carried on the family textile tradition.

James leaves his wife Linda, his three children, Emily, John and Rosie, and four grandchildren. A service of celebration of his life will take place at St Cuthbert’s Episcopal Church Hawick on Thursday 11 January at 11am. ROBERT SUGDEN The Scotsman welcomes obituaries and appreciations from contributors as well as suggestions of possible obituary subjects. Please contact: Gazette Editor n The Scotsman, Level 7, Orchard Brae House, 30 Queensferry Road, Edinburgh EH4 2HS; n gazette@scotsman.com

“He was an honourable man who stuck to his principles and good Yorkshire common sense. ”